美国商*必教的15个经典案例（下）

    If you attend business school, you can expect to read a lot of case studies. Professors love them because they offer real-world examples of why businesses succeed and fail.There are some classic cases that every business student should know, like why Apple changed its name and how Ryanair beat two industry giants.We've compiled the most influential cases here, with recommendations from business school professors across the nation and abroad.

       若你在商里读书，你一定希望阅读大量的商务案例来做研究。教授们非常喜爱这些案例的原因是这些案例能告诉你在真实世界里为什么有些生意成功了而有些则失败了。今天就和大家一起分析其中的前7个案例。
8.How ethical decisions are different abroad
Case: Merck Sharp & Dohme Argentina, Inc.
Key takeaway: Ethical decisions aren't always cut and dry.
What happened? The new managing director of the Argentinian subsidiary of Merck was tasked with changing it into a more modern and professional business organization.
A short time into his term he was confronted with an ethical dilemma. A candidate for a highly competitive internship, who missed the cut, was the son of a high ranking official in the government's health care system. It was implied that hiring the student would ensure that Merck's drugs would be included on the government's healthcare roster, increasing sales. It was a conflict between Mosquera's desire to reform, and the realities of doing business in a changing country.

9.Why Cirque du Soleil moved outside its comfort zone
Case: Cirque du Soleil - The High-Wire Act Of Building Sustainable Partnerships
Key takeaway: Sometimes you have to move past an old partnership in order to grow.
What happened? Cirque du Soleil had a mutually-beneficial and very profitable partnership with the MGM Mirage casinos. The casino made capital investments in theaters for the company's unique shows, and the shows brought in high-spending clients. Faced with opportunities in Asia and the Middle East, CEO Daniel Lamarre had to figure out how to create different partnerships.

10.Why Airborne Express lost the delivery race
Case: Airborne Express
Key takeaway: Specialization can compete with economies of scale, but only up to a certain point.
What happened? A smaller competitor to giants like FedEx and UPS, Airborne Express had managed to significantly grow revenues despite its size. Part of that had come on the heels of a strike at UPS, and the company had to take advantage of that. Since FedEx and UPS were so large, the company had to find a way to specialize to survive.
They targeted high volume business customers, shipped primarily to large metropolitan areas, aggressively cut costs, and adopted new technology after FedEx and UPS. Ultimately, that strategy wasn't sustainable, and the company was acquired by DHL.

11.How bad communication nearly ruined a manager
Case: Erik Peterson (A)
Key takeaway: Playing politics can be unavoidable.
What happened? The case follows a recent MBA graduate who had become the general manager at a subsidiary of a large cellphone company in the late 80s. Peterson's group was in the process of building up to offer cell phone service in parts of New Hampshire and Vermont. The project was behind schedule, and Peterson had offered a plan to meet a revised target, to be reviewed by headquarters.
Though hard working and competent, Peterson had trouble with his immediate superior. He did not know who exactly he had to report to, which created problems on both ends while he was attempting to complete a significant reorganization and had problems with his chief engineer. Because of the lack of support, Peterson had to go it alone in many ways.
Eventually, the company was restructured and Peterson's role became more clear.

12.How William Avery filled the shoes of a legend
Case: Crown Cork & Seal in 1989
Key takeaway: Don't be afraid to think for yourself.
What happened? William Avery succeeded the man who had saved the company, the aging John Connelly as CEO in 1989. Avery had to reevaluate Connelly's long standing strategy, as cost efficiency couldn't work alone. New competitors had emerged, margins were decreasing, a major rival was for sale, and their core metal can business didn't look like it would grow significantly in coming years.
He had to decide whether to attempt to grow through acquisition, which hadn't always worked in the industry, or expand to new and different products like plastics. The company ended up doing both, and manufactures one in five beverage cans used worldwide.

13.Why Cisco started hunting bigger game
Case: New Millennium, New Acquisition Strategy? Cisco Systems
Key takeaway: Companies need different things at different times.
What happened? Around 2006, several years after the period described in "Developing A Human Capital Strategy" Cisco began to move away from its long standing acquisition strategy of buying small innovative startups and towards larger "platform" deals. The initial strategy came about as the internet was growing rapidly, and customers looked to Cisco for a wide variety of solutions. The case outlines how Cisco's acquisition strategy developed, then changed as the company and market did.

14.How Lincoln Electric succeeded with a wildly unconventional strategy
Case: Lincoln Electric Co.
Key takeaway: Keep it simple.
What happened?: One of Harvard's classic cases, with over 200,000 copies sold, examines the unique culture and strategy of what was the largest manufacturer of arc-welding products in 1975. The company provided no benefits and didn't have a union. It also provided guaranteed employment, employee equity, and gave management responsibility to workers. Particularly unique was the way it paid its workers, in a piecework fashion with bonuses based on the company's revenues. Workers generally earned significantly more than those at similar companies, but the company was still productive at low cost.
Lincoln's strategy was unusual, but very clear, very consistent, and very successful in motivating its workers.

15.Why Nucor Steel took a company sized gamble
Case: Nucor at a Crossroads
Key takeaway: Operations expertise has limits, new investment determines its scale.
What happened? In 1986, Nucor's CEO Kenneth Iverson had to make a critical decision on whether or not to adopt a new steel casting technology. The technology would allow the company to gain significant first mover advantage and reduce costs in the long run. The company would have to make a huge investment, however, and technology was unproven and it could be leapfrogged in coming years.
Nucor ended up building the first plant with the new technology in 1989, and remains one of the largest steelmakers in the United States.